Breath of Yesterday
Breath of Yesterday is a 2016 fiction created by . It is a story set in both the distant past and distant future and while features references to other works by Exotoro, will be primarily it's own thing. Breath of Yesterday follows a cast of three primary characters not unlike Gone: Karin Sekai, a time traveler from the distant future who kind of acts on her own accord and acts tougher than she really is, Ayla, a cavewoman from the distant past, and Nomusa Marita, a morally ambiguous queen in charge of a kingdom from the distant future who has the life of her servants connected through a large garden. It should be worth noting that this is NOT even remotely historical accurate. Like, at all. =Chapters= Prologue Prologue I: The Eggs 1,000,000 BC Three of eggs, with blue speckled dots coming down from the top, sat in the spacious nest off the side of the cliff. The tribe had scaled the side of the cliff, now within distance of the nest itself. Four men and one woman scrambled as a tribe, clenching hard onto rock. The mother would be back soon, so they needed to grab the eggs as soon as possible. Touching them would mean the mother would reject them and destroy them, so there wasn't a second to waste. The men were the typical bug-ridden brown haired, scraggly messes whereas the woman had vibrant blue hair, the source of this completely unknown. It didn't seem to run in her lineage as far as they know, so it was very mysterious indeed. The men treated her with complete respect, as they did for any woman, but they also expected her to know how to hunt, which she did as demonstrated when she reached the top and grabbed the eggs. She handed one down to one of the men, who began to climb downwards. She did this two more times, with the last man taking a quick look into the sky and seeing nothing. The woman prepared to climb down with them, but then she heard an awful screeching sound. It was the mother. And she was pissed. The woman readied her club from the rope attached to her side and swung wildly at the creature, a giant pteranodon that snapped it's giant beak closer and closer to her. She tried not to flinch as she shifted her body around the top of the cliff-side. Prologue II: The Lunch Another woman came from a portal from another time, way distant to this one. Her brown hair was beginning to thick in sweat, finding the intense humidity of this time a bit much. As sweat poured down her green lensed goggles, she realized that this wasn't exactly the time period she was planning to go to. She thought about heading back... but this seemed like an okay spot for now. The woman's name was Karin. She was from a planet known as Bio-Igniz. Her queen had instructed her to map out Bio-Igniz's past, as it was now lost as far as they knew. The library holding the texts and ancient wisdoms of the past were long gone during an attack by a still unknown enemy that called the "Reckoning". Although her queen was able to destroy it, she was unable to stop the fire that the Reckoning had caused. Thinking about the queen made her blush a little. She knew it would probably never happen but... it was too easy to get lost in thoughts about her and the Queen, who she didn't even know the name of. She felt stupid realizing that, especially with this infatuation that seemed to be growing... Karin set down a toolkit, setting out a metal table and grabbing a data recorder. She was hungry so she figured she'd eat lunch first before doing some data recording. Teleporting in a sandwich just the way she liked it with salami and avocado piled high, she was about to eat it when she realized something was struggling from the cliff-side up. She could hear the noises of a battle between a woman and a creature. The woman was apparently losing as suddenly rocks shifted back, tumbling down the cliff-side alongside a blue-haired woman, who was the likely source of the sounds. Karin got up, not sure what to do as she quickly bit into the sandwich. Prologue III: The Flowers 1,000,000 AD BIO-IGNIZ "I'm not someone who needs to be coddled to, mother." responded a woman with stark red hair and a black ornate dress. Another woman in the room, with black hair and a more civilian-mannered dress with a witches' hat stood behind her. "Well, it's a big deal, being the queen and all of this entire planet... millions of years have scarred the surface, comets and meteors denting it..." replied her mother. "And yet you think you got it? You need someone else on the throne too." "I can handle it- why do you insist on treating me like a child when this was my empire to begin with? The steel structure that covers the entire planet, the people I enlisted? You have no confidence in me, but I have to wonder why as I've done nothing but attempt to earn your respect." grunted the woman. "Nomusa..." simply stated her mother. "I have no interest in any of the suitors you've attempted to put me up with. I have no time for that. I have a planet to run, one that requires consistent maintenance. And I can do it on my own." she snarled, looking at her mother. "Sigh... you never listen to me, do you?" asked her mother. Nomusa left the room, calming as she went into a green house chamber with a variety of flowers. As the chamber was kept damp with mist and moisture, she looked at the healthy flowers. She picked one out, it's immortal petals still a vibrant yellow. It wasn't easy to tell which soul this flower hosted, but she had them all marked by name. The people of her kingdom, her empire, had their souls kept in flowers, always budding and alive. She set the flower down back in it's spot, learning that it was the soul of Karin Sekai as she did. She had no idea who the hell that was. Chapter I: Cross the Line Smarterer The blue haired woman fell near Karin’s feet, badly damaged by the fall. She was still visibly breathing but obviously hurt. Karin had a couple of thoughts rush into her head… She could obviously help the woman. It would be the right thing to do. Get her back on her feet, heal her… it would all take less time than the body naturally healing, if ever. With this decision though, she risked the possibility of warping time, which was a bad thing. She kind of began panicking because she obviously didn’t want to warp time and ruin things moving forward. At the same time, she couldn’t just leave her there, could she? A willing participant to a death and walking away when they could use help… her anxiety was setting in, sinking in her stomach and buzzing away in her head. The woman stirred in her unconscious state. Karin decided to pull her body up and drag her away from the cliff side, laying her down on her back. She injected a needle, putting blue blood cells into her body that would heal her condition. After a bunch of quick coughs, the woman in the blue hair awakened, looking at Karin. She grunted as she got up. Karin felt a little proud but also a little nervous. What would the woman do now? She was dealing with a less advanced version of her species after all… although her features were admittedly kind of attractive. The woman just stared at her, as if she knew that she didn’t belong here. Karin couldn’t explain herself to someone who didn’t even really have a language, could she? The woman eventually just left, but not before walking into a palm tree. Karin wondered if she had vision problems. She had already helped her out with the fall she took, maybe she could help her more? It was a risky proposition for sure. She didn’t know if she had already screwed up the timeline and something like that could definitely screw up the timeline even more. Karin decided to just help her out. She hated being so back and forth about this, especially about something that could be helpful for once. She tapped the woman’s shoulders, pulling a pair of square frame glasses to her. The woman was confused. Karin pointed to her goggles, attempting to explain to her that she wears them over her eyes. The woman merely punched Karin in that spot, causing her to fall over. She sorted through her bag for a mind jack- a little device that you put the back on someone’s head, transferring information into their mind. She came across one, a basic knowledge mind jack. Quickly getting behind the woman, she plugged it into the back of her head, the woman’s eyes opening as their pupils throbbed. For a second there, Karin was afraid that she had truly messed up, but then it was done. She pulled the mind jack out, the woman gripping onto some nearby rocks, looked at her with a curious impression. “Who are you?” asked the woman. Flint Stone “Uh… the name is Karin.” said Karin. The woman nodded. “Ayla,” responded the woman. Karin handed her a pair of glasses. “Glasses?” asked Ayla. “Uh, you seem to have a vision problem, I can get you contacts if you want; these glasses help you see better.” Karin explained. Ayla put the glasses on, her world suddenly becoming a lot more clearer. “Woah… I had no idea.” Ayla gasped in awe, taking the glasses on and off to switch from focus to unfocus. “So yeah… that should help, I think.” said Karin. She was unsure what else to do. She had a part in creating an intelligent cave woman, now she was torn between just running back to her time to see if she fucked up or sticking with the mission she was given. Suddenly Ayla stopped in place. "Tasara..." she suddenly spoke in a quiet tone, suddenly getting on her hands and knees and crawling quickly. Karin initially wondered why she would crawl like that but she soon found herself suddenly slipping behind her new friend. "Ayla, wait up!" yelled out Karin as she walked cautiously down the rocks that were leading to a sandy shore. Ayla was not slowing down despite the steep and crumbly terrain, moving with such ease that Karin was getting jealous of. She jumped down the cliffside and onto the sand before scampering into the distance, her hands and feets leaving imprints in the sand. Karin activated her rocket boots and floated down, following the trail her new friend just left. Ayla climbed onto a collection of raised gray-colored beachrock, her crawling becoming slower as she approached a woman with long black hair with a nest of shells and pincers on the top of her hair, growling as she noticed Ayla. She carried a still breathing lobster in one of her hands. She wore nothing. Karin propelled to the top of the beachrock, causing the woman's growling to get louder. "Tasara. Look." said Ayla, pulling out the mind jack Karin had used, taking it without Karin having initially realizing it. "Ayla, no." suddenly Karin whimpered, afraid that she was actually messing up the future now. Tasara growled loudly before Ayla quickly moved to get behind her and placed the mind jack in the base of Tasara's head. Karin watching as the woman's eyes throbbed as information poured into her. Tasara then blinked, looking at Ayla. "What did you do?" asked Tasara. "You're smart now, like me." said Ayla. Tasara realized she was speaking something she just now recognized as if she had always known it, but this didn't seem entirely possible. "Mffph, who's that?" asked Tasara, pointing to Karin. "That's Karin. She made me smart with this." said Ayla, holding up the mind jack. Tasara turned her eyes back to the deep blue ocean. "Alright then." Ayla turned back to Karin, who was unsure of the domino effect she was setting up here. She grabbed the mind jack. "Never do that again." "Why not?" asked Ayla. "I'm from a different time than yours… I can't be messing with time so much." said Karin, stress evident in her voice. Ayla nodded. "You should see my village." Ayla said. "Oh, I don't think that'll really be necessary…" Karin nervously said. "Come." Ayla said, a bit commanding. Karin shrugged. "What's the worst that could possibly happen…?" she nervously asked herself. Imperial Nomusa was taking a nice cleansing bath alone. Rose petals floated across the water as the room was filled with steam, her scarlet red hair floating on the surface like blood. Her eyes were closed, her thoughts kept in the iron box that was her mind. She was more or less the ruler of Bio-Igniz. It was hard to understand her mother's ridiculous demands that she find a suitor. She could run things herself, she didn't need a testosterone-riddled lesser getting in her way. As much as she wished she connected with more people, she understood that she was of a different background. Engineered to perfection, she was born in a test tube. That alone, she thought, was one of the several reasons she'd never truly connect with her own people. And why should she? She was there to make decisions for them, the best ones. The ones they could not be trusted with. Sixty years had passed since the orange tyrant had his reign on the planet, a puppet of the steel empire. Democracy was disillusioned. A person of common sense had to step and make decisions. That was her mother. She stepped out of the tub, fitting two towels over her breasts and nether regions. She could not stay there much longer before her body wrinkled in the water. Perfection was killing her. She slipped into a lightweight red dress, looking at the status of the solar core that kept Bio Igniz up and running. The bright and luminous blue sun core that kept it going. It was located a long away from the planet but due to cloudiar transfer it was able to power the entire planet, which was mostly all mechanical at this point. Everything was going good. A small number seemed off, but she couldn't stress such a small, miniscule difference from yesterday's data. Chapter II: Her World Village Karin was mostly lagging behind Ayla, something that Ayla found very annoying. "Come on now, if you're from the future, why aren't you faster?" she'd ask. Karin had no answer, just exhausted pants. Making it past the white woods that opened up into a dry basin, they had finally made it to the village. Ayla crawled into a hut where Karin followed her in. It was dry and smelly, but it felt cool under the sun. It was poorly constructed, noted Karin, as it seemed to be made mostly of mud and sticks. "So this is where you live, huh." asked Karin. Ayla nodded as she slipped her clothes off, Karin blushing furiously. "Hm?" asked Ayla, watching as Karin's face flushed a stark red. "Uh… nothing. I guess that's a normal thing you do?" asked Karin, trying to look away. Ayla shrugged. "I think your normal and my normal is very different," replied Ayla. She adjusted her glasses a bit. "Wow, there's so much I can see so clearly now!" she said excitedly. "So… do you get naked like that often? The other girl was naked too...:" asked Karin. "Oh yeah, if the situation calls for it. Tasara likes the feel of the ocean on her skin so that's her deal… for me, it's the only way I can deal with this muggy weather." she said, rolling in her woven chair. "So… what are the other women like?" asked Karin. "Oh… yeah." Ayla said. "Mmm… I'm not as attractive as they are." She folded her knees nervously. "What do you mean by that?" asked Karin. "Well, I mean, they got the fertility…" she said, cupping her breasts. "What do you mean by that?" asked Karin. "Around here, and I don't know if this is a thing in your present time, but we get a lot of mates around this time. But they like us very fertile and I am… unfortunately not." Ayla looked to her left, before looking back at Karin. "I'm so sorry." Karin blurted out. "I just make myself useful by being a hunter gatherer." Ayla stated, looking at the horses etched in the walls and grabbing a spear. She flung it, hitting the horse as the spear made contact with the wall. "I… see." said Karin. She wasn't sure what else to say. "Me and Tasara are both infertile. She cast herself out but I think of her as my friend- at least I can only hope she thinks of me as one too." stated Ayla. "That's why you gave her the mind jack, huh." Karin noted. "It doesn't matter that much but… I can't help feeling a little low when I do nothing to help the dropping population of the village." Ayla stated. She grabbed the spear and put it next to the chair. "Well… I still like you." said Karin. She felt stupid the second she opened her mouth to pour that out, because there was no way Ayla would return her feelings and she was setting herself up for the fall. There was no way this would work out if she DID. That said, they were both infertile anyway, so she wasn't really messing the timeline up that much. Ayla didn't see the awkwardness for what it was. "Thank you. That's actually… really comforting." Karin smiled. Ayla smiled back. Arley and Nemo A portal to a time way distant from the current one opened in the prehistoric world in the white woods. Two men stepped out, walking past a stegosaurus munching away at grass. One had thin white hair, the other had dark black hair past his eyebrows. "Jeez, out of all the places to pick for an extended period of time." the first man said. The other man looked at the stegosaurus, still munching away. "Come on, let's find Karin." noted the man with dark black hair. "Alright, jeez, just noting," replied the first man. "You rush me so much, Nemo." The man with thick black hair, named Nemo, looked at his partner. "Just keeping us on track so she doesn't send another rescue party for this, Arley." "You got a point." said Arley. Nemo walked forward into the thick forest, coming across a badly scratched in sigil across most of the trees. He nodded along, following the heat signature of Karin to the village she was in. He wondered what the heck the holdup could be. "Did she get kidnapped by the natives?" asked Nemo, looking at the dot. "Her heart rate's way up." "I dunno…" Arley said. They arrived in the dry basin, seeing a bunch of huts lined up in the dry and muggy area. They looked around for Karin before spotting her in the doorway of one of the huts. She seemed to be chatting with someone. Karin noticed they were coming. "Ayla… take those glasses off and don't say anything. Please. I don't know if you can get dressed in time but… I can't be found out like this." said Karin. Ayla nodded, quickly taking off her glasses and putting back on her clothes. "There you are." Nemo stated, looking at Karin. "Whatcha doing over here?" "Oh… uh, just recording the history over here. Guess I've been here for a really long time, huh?" Karin asked, anxiety floating in and out of her voice as she floated truths and lies in the mess that was this conversation. "Well, you need to get back. Were they causing you trouble?" asked Arley. "No… why?" asked Karin. "Your heart rate went way up for a moment when we were tracking you." replied Nemo. "Oh… huh." said Karin. "We can send you to the medical bay for that. Anyway…" stated Arley, opening up a portal to the future. "Time to get back." Karin wasn't really ready to go back, but she had to, lest they suspect things. She quickly whispered to Ayla. "I'll be back soon." and jumped into the portal. Ayla lay there, putting back on the glasses as the portal closed. She was starting to miss her already. A Mess Nomusa glanced at Karin as she exited from the portal. Karin looked at her, so unsure of what was going to happen. She still didn't know the name of the Queen. "Why were you in there for so long?" asked Nomusa. Karin felt like she was being suffocated. "I-I lost track of time. I'm so sorry." stated Karin. "Well, at least you're safe for now. Doesn't look like you made any alterations to the timeline." stated Nomusa. glancing at a red holographic screen between her hands. "Remember, the further back you are in time, the more your mistakes are magnified. Severely altering the past will create a rift. You know this… this is why you can't risk staying there so long." "I apologize." said Karin. "I'm not mad, just concerned." Nomusa stated, putting away the holographic tablet. "Yes, I understand." Karin said, becoming a little less worried. "Well, that's settled then," stated Nomusa. "See you tomorrow." "...Tomorrow? Why?" asked Karin. The Queen usually did not oversee their missions. "I gotta make sure you don't do anything stupid." Nomusa said. "Right, haha." Karin sheepishly laughed, having no other defenses working for her at the time. Nomusa left, Karin hadn't even realized this before looking back where she was. She promised to see Ayla tomorrow. But if The Queen was watching, that could be difficult. She sighed. Her life had become so complicated so fast. The only way Ayla could break the timeline now was to accidentally introduce a vast swath of future information to the village that would be passed down for generations… or Tasara could do that too. She was less likely but Karin had to remember she always was a factor. She didn't even know herself anymore. Was she in love with The Queen or Ayla? Did either of them like her? Could they? She was a mess. Tomorrow was going to be rough. Chapter III: Disaster in the Making Tomorrow Comes Today Karin awoke early to report to her Queen, brushing her teeth, replacing her contact lenses, slightly regretting that she didn't do that with Ayla. She probably stood out in a bad way, but she was still here and that's about as much as you can ask for when you involve yourself in such a early time period. She glanced down into the sink, wondering how the heck today would even work out. She had promised Ayla she would be there tomorrow, but it was best not to mess with the cycle that the time periods were set to lest she had an actual excuse. She had none. All time travel was done in periods; year cycles that had tommorows and yesterdays just as the present did. They flowed alongside the present, time travelers being sent to specific events if needed. Each cycle lasted a different amount of years; in Ayla's case it lasted 1000s of years. Not much really happened between then and the future of the cycle until the ice age, which was a separate time period with it's own cycle. To go to a specific date would mean that she would have to set the cycle back manually, something she had no real reason to do and delay the cycle from finishing as it should. Karin was trusted to go on her own, but yesterday could have messed that up for her. She just needed to prove she was fine on her own under the Queen's own supervision. She could do that, she was doing that two days ago and the time before that. She grabbed her tool kit and headed towards her work station, the Queen looking at the screen instead of her. "You'll be heading to Ancient Egypt today," she said, still not looking at Karin. "I wouldn't want you getting distracted like yesterday, I figure a change in time period could serve you well." Karin's heart sank a little. She nervously approached the time portal. "3…" stated the Queen. Karin had to do this, right? She couldn't disobey her Queen's orders… "2…" She wanted to, though. "1…" Suddenly, Karin surged forward, in the opposite direction of the portal. Grabbing Her Hand Karin grabbed the Queen's hand and switched the time period. "What are you DOING?" asked the Queen, trying to get free from her grasp. Karin didn't answer as the portal reopened to the prehistoric past. Without warning, she dragged herself and The Queen in. They landed on the other side as the portal closed. Karin collapsed onto the ground, suddenly afraid of what she just did. The Queen breathed in deeply, assessing the situation. "I don't know what's prompting this rebellious behavior from you, but it needs to stop if you know what's good for you." she said quietly but with a tinge of anger in her voice. Karin started crying a bit. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Nomusa knew at this point that the girl wasn't being malicious to her. That said, she had no idea what prompted this behaviour. "Tell me your name and then get me out of here." Karin choked back some tears. "Karin Sekai." she blurted out. "Karin Sekai?" echoed back the Queen. She remembered her flower. "Yes, Karin Sekai," Karin stepped back a bit. She choked back the tears and cleared her face. "I'm sorry I was so irresponsible and reckless I just- I just wanted to see her again, I promised her that." "Her?" asked The Queen. "Her name is A-Ayla." she stuttered. She figured she might as well come clean about some of this. She felt herself sinking. "Karin…" said the Queen, glancing at her. "I know! I shouldn't have helped her out when she fell down the mountain, especially to the extent I did. I-I really messed up and I know it." Karin stated, in contempt for herself and what she had done. "Karin!" the Queen stated. She ran over to her and Karin began to notice she was sinking into mud. "Aghhhh, I'm so sorry I'm a huge screw up! If you take me off from this job, I'll understand…" Karin stated. "I'm really not that worried about that right now, grab my hand." said the Queen, holding her hand out. Karin grasped it firmly as she attempted to pull her out. Her strength didn't seem really enough as Karin seemingly sank deeper in. "Don't move, don't move…" Karin repeated to herself as she tried to remember what to do this in situation. The Queen stood, feeling panicked. "I don't know what to do." said the Queen, looking at her. Karin suddenly realized in the moment that the Queen was human just like her. She had been built up to be flawless and perfect in her own right, but now it came to down to this and the Queen had no idea what to do. "Well…" Karin quietly began. "If I'm gonna die here, do you mind telling me your name?" She might as well clear off the things she would regret not asking here and now. The Queen stared at her, afraid she might actually lose her. That blood would be considered to be on her hands, god knows what the media would spin it as. She might as well answer her question. "N-Nomusa Marita." she stated. "That's a really lovely name…" Karin stated, not realizing her arms were being pulled out. She felt herself rise up in the mud, glancing to her left. "Ayla?!" Ayla pulled her out from the mud, not wearing her glasses. Karin supposed that Ayla knew that Nomusa was here. "Thank you…" Karin stated. "I'd hug you if I wasn't so muddy." "This is Ayla, huh," stated Nomusa. Karin froze. "What, you act like I killed you or something..." she asked rhetorically. "N-nothing, let's just get you back to your regular time." Karin stated, looking in her tool kit. Nomusa shut the toolbox. "Why you don't you show your queen around a bit, hm?" asked Nomusa. She wasn't exactly sure what spurred this change of heart, but it was the first time she felt that she was connecting with anyone in what seemed like years. "Oh, sure. Uh, right this way!" said Karin, heading north. That Was Stupid The sun set at Ayla's village. Karin and Nomusa sat on rock in front of Ayla's hut as she slept inside during the hot summer heat with nothing on her skin except a sabertooth fur. Karin watched as the stars lit up in the sky with a radiance that not even the present could match. "The light kind of snuffed out the stars on Bio-Igniz... " Nomusa stated. "I'm glad I can see them again." "Isn't everyone worried about us staying past so late?" asked Karin. Nomusa shook her head. "I told them not to," said Nomusa. Karin breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you afraid of me?" "A-afraid? No, just you're so perfect compared to me and you hold so much power… kind of hard to not wilt away in your presence." she said. "Yet you brought me through the portal." Nomusa stated. "I'm sorry for that." whimpered Karin. Nomusa looked at her. "Don't be. I had a nice time today." Nomusa said, standing up. "Even if I'm sweating bullets in this dress." "Well, that's good at least," Karin beamed. "...do you wanna head back?" "I think it would be best to, yes," Nomusa said. Karin nodded as she opened up a portal, Nomusa and Karin slipping back to the current time for them. "That was a pretty stupid stunt though, it's just a good thing it paid off for you." Karin wasn't sure to nod or what. She just started walking away. "Perhaps I could come again along with you another time?" Nomusa asked. "Sure!" said Karin. She smiled as she ran back to her home. Nomusa sat back in the chair with the screen, her eyes slowly fluttering asleep. She called for her assistants and fell asleep in their arms. Chapter IV: N0RM4L A Day On The Rocks Karin and Nonmusa worked out a deal more or less and Karin wasn't sure how she was getting away with it, but she was. That in of itself seemed to make her kind of anxious. Anxious or not, she was here, today, with Ayla, sitting on the back of a massive turtle that had grown a grassy patch over it's shell. Ayla laid back as Karin sat, folding her legs. "Who was that yesterday?" asked Ayla. "Oh… uh… her name is Nonmusa, she's the Queen of where I'm from. I don't know her that well but I mean… she's a nice person." stated Karin. Ayla nodded. "Do you suppose you'll ever take me to wherever you're from?" Ayla asked. "I dunno, your world is so different from mine… I have no idea what the animals must look like for you to wear that…" Karin looked at her denim overalls and grey shirt. "Oh… these aren't from an animal, haha." she giggled. "See through? My world is so different from yours!" Ayla retorted. "Yeah… I suppose," stated Karina. She outstretched her hand near the water. "Where are we going, anyway?" "Oh, to see Tasara." Ayla stated. "Ah." stated Karin. She rested her head back as the turtle was making it to the beach shore. Ayla and Karin hopped off as it touched the shore. "Jeez, aren't you hot in that?" asked Ayla. She was kind of right but Karin didn't feel she'd be able to strip down without profusely blushing. "I'm okay for now, haha." Karin nervously laughed. Ayla shrugged as she walked towards the jumble of rocks Tasara was at. "Hey uh… um… do people in your world mate?" asked Ayla. "Yes… the world suffers from overpopulation because of it, actually." stated Karin. "Wow, thats amazing…" stated Ayla. "Well, I wouldn't say amazing as it's an issue trying to feed and shelter everyone but that's how things are, I guess…" Karin thought out loud. Ayla climbed up the rocks as Karin rocketed to the top. Tasara looked at them and growled a little. "You nearly missed the sun setting." Tasara stated. A Sunset Shared Ayla nodded her head. "Sorry, must have gotten a little caught up with Karin's conversation…" The sky became a vibrant orange and purple as it set down in the water. Karin admired it, seeing its natural light as opposed to the more organic sky of her world, constantly under a worn out starry sky. "Karin…" stated Ayla. "Thank you for everything you've done for me." Karin glowed a little scarlet. "Anything for you…" she quickly added in "...my best friend." Ayla didnt notice the pause seemingly, much to the relief of Karin. "You too," responded Ayla. "Mmm, I see that I'm the dreaded third person of this scenario." Tasara stated grimly. "N-no, I just don't really know you yet…" Karin stated. God, did Tasara know? What was she thinking about it? Good things or bad things? Tasara could probably crush her skull and wear it in her hair if it was bad. "Aw come on Tasara…" Ayla stated, rubbing her shoulder. "You're my oldest friend, I still like ya enough to come here." The sun was dipping into the water, the night crawling down into the sky with its stars. Tasara laid down, her long hair covering her underside like a bed. Ayla hopped off. "Night!" she yelled as her feet hit the sand. Karin went down with her. "You can head back if you want…" Ayla stated. "I got it from here." "Mm, I wanna walk with you home before I go." replied Karin. Ayla shrugged, not sure what to say as they walked before "Hey… what would your ideal mate be?" asked Ayla. Karina froze. Mate? She wasn't infertile but she wasn't really interested in men, but she had no idea how Ayla would react. Should she lie? Did she have a reason to? Well yes, Ayla might be concerned and their friendship would end. She hadn't lied to Ayla yet and it honestly seemed like she would feel worse if she did. "A g-girl." Karin nervously spat out. "A girl?" questioned Ayla. "Girls can't make a baby if it's just two of them." "I don't wanna make a baby. I… guess you wouldn't really understand what I mean." replied Karin. "Show me what you mean, then." Ayla said, putting her hands by her hips. "Right here? Right now…?" asked Karin. "Yeah, come on, help me understand." stated Ayla. Karin felt her face get red. "O-okay. Uh…" Karin put her hands on Ayla's hips and leaned her face close. She closed her eyes and kissed her lips. Ayla seemed rather confused still, her mouth open, tempting Karin to explore it. Karin's tongue squirmed inside as Ayla attempted to press her tongue down, their tongues wrestling for a good long minute before Karin finally parted. "I dunno what that was… but uh… it f-felt good?" Ayla had some strange feelings for Karin now. She kissed her on the lips again, much to the surprise of Karin. "T-that's a k-kiss. It's how some people express deep love… there are other ways of that too but…" Karin blushed deeply. "B-but I should probably get going." "Y-yeah." nodded Ayla. She stepped away from Karin and Karin opened up a portal, exiting. Ayla still felt warm even as the temperature cooled... A Night Alone Nonmusa breathed heavily, taking in the air of the greenhouse. She had just finished tending the plants, a job she did when she felt stressed from her duties as Queen. As she exited the greenhouse, she saw her mother. "Back in your secret garden, hm?" her mother asked. Nonmusa sneered and walked past her. "Don't you act that way towards me!" "All you ever focus on is what I'm not doing. Oh… I need to find a king so I can make a test tube baby anyway because I sure as shit ain't touching anything on him…" growled Nonmusa. "Can't you for once be happy about the things I do already?” she crossed her arms. Her mother sighed. "I had you as a test tube baby yes, but it was because I had to. To see my kingdom live on through you. I… don't want you to have to resort to the same mistake." Nonmusa uncrossed her arms. "I… wasn't a mistake, was I?" she asked, croaking slightly. Her mother shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I love you. I just wish I didn't spend so much time alone… and you helped me realize that way too late." her mother cried. She rubbed the back of Nonmusa. "I… understand… but you have to understand I don't really have any real interest in that right now." she stated. "If that's what you want to do…" sighed her mother. "I mean… maybe it's not a king I'm looking for…" sighed Nonmusa to herself, quietly. "What?" asked her mother, curiously. "Oh nothing, haha." Nomusa quickly replied. She gazed out of the window into the cosmos as her mother walked away, shaking her head. "They told me test tube babies were a little loopy…" her mother spoke to herself in the distance. =Trivia= *Although the year is not at all accurate to the date either dinosaurs or humans began to appear, early societies are suggested to be based off a kind of matriarchy. *The story is partially inspired by Gone, however the characters are based off Lego figures that Exotoro created. *This is the first and possibly only story by Xenoro have to have a Gone-style chapter system. Although Gone: Good House Hunting features something similar, it only has three "chapters". Category:Short Stories Category:Stories Category:Breath of Yesterday